I grew up in a family where breastfeeding wasn’t the norm and was maybe even a little frowned upon.
When I had my first baby I knew it was something I wanted to try and if it didn’t work out… formula it was.
Let me tell you… it’s NOT easy. You have to be prepared to give all of yourself to your little one on demand.
Here are some tips and tricks I learned along the way:
The First Few Weeks:
- It won’t be easy. Try to wait it out until you have completed the first month and a half (that’s when it got a lot easier for me)
- Wait until your little one is four weeks old to start pumping. No one told me this so I pumped from day one and my body didn’t regulate to my babies needs and I ended up with an oversupply
- Never skip a feeding/pumping session unless you are trying to decrease your supply
Enjoy the Ride:
- Have a support system. I joined the Milky Mama Facebook group and it made all the difference!
- Set a goal
- Don’t quit on the bad days
- Meet with a Lactation Consultant
- Get a handheld pump you can take with you so you aren’t chained to an outlet
Equipment:
- Make sure your pump and all your pump parts are clean and dry
- Ensure you have the correct flange size for your nipple
- Use this for sore nipples
Foods that help increase milk supply:
- Oatmeal
- Brewers Yeast (can be purchased in pill form, powdered or can be found in dark beer)
- Flax Seed
- Milky Mama treats (the brownies are SO good)
To increase output when pumping:
- Massage your breasts or use one of these nifty massagers
Stay Hydrated:
- Water
- Blue Gatorade (or so they say)
- Body Armor
Freezing Your Stash:
- Lay the bags flat when you freeze them and try to keep out any extra air – when you have a lot of milk stored up
- If your milk tastes or smells like soap when you thaw it you might have high liapse (my son wouldn’t take any of the milk I made – you can prevent this by scalding your milk)
If you get Clogged Ducts:
- Take Sunflower Lecithin
- Use a heating pad (warm and moist is best) – try filling up a diaper with warm water and placing it on your breast or take a warm bath
- Nurse as much as you can
- Dangle Feed (get down on all fours and let your little one nurse)
- I have heard stories about some moms having their significant other suck out the clog but I am yet to try this one because it grosses me out so badly…
Other Products to Try:
- Use a Haakaa to catch milk from the other breast
Some Cool Things I Learned:
- Your milk adjusts to your babys needs. The amount of fat, hormones and more change to align with babys needs in that moment.
- Why do momma’s love to give kisses to their baby? When you kiss your little one you “sample” the bacteria on their skin and your body adjusts to meet babies needs!
Supplementing:
You might have to supplement at some point in time – make sure you are educated on your options. There are options. You can use formula or donor milk. Here is a resources for Donor Milk:
- Human Milk 4 Babies
Minute with Mandy 